Some chemical reactions occur explosively fast, others may occur almost imperceptibly s-l-o-w-l-y. This project explores what effect the particle size of the reactants has on the speed of a chemical reaction: production of carbon dioxide gas by an Alka-Seltzer® tablet.
Read more

This is a straightforward, fun project to measure the rate of the chemical reaction that occurs when Alka-Seltzer® tablets are plopped into water. You'll track the volume of carbon dioxide gas produced at regular intervals after the reaction begins. How does changing the temperature of the water affect the production of gas?
Read more

The ingredients in Alka-Seltzer® tablets undergo a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide gas as soon as the tablets hit water. Do you think you can cause the tablets to produce gas faster by breaking them into smaller pieces before dropping them in water? Find out for yourself with this project.
Read more

Chem_p030

+ More Details

- Less Details

Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Very Low (under $20)

Safety

Adult supervision required for use of power drill (one hole required when building the simple experimental apparatus)

"Slurp...plop!" Recognize that sound? You might if your family usually serves jellied cranberries for the holidays. Jellied cranberries are thick, like gelatin, and retain the shape of the mold in which it was placed, which might mean Aunt Sue's turkey mold or even the shape of the can if you buy one of the popular canned versions. Taking a bite of wiggly jellied cranberries can be a fun addition to a delicious meal, but cranberries can also be served as a sauce. Both versions use the same…
Read more

FoodSci_p061

+ More Details

- Less Details

Time Required

Very Short (≤ 1 day)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Low ($20 - $50)

Safety

Adult assistance is required to make the cranberry sauce on the stovetop. The process involves boiling cranberries, sugar, and water. This mixture is prone to splattering as the cranberries pop open. Use caution to avoid being burnt by splattering cranberry sauce.

Expanding gases are everywhere, from the kitchen to the cosmos. You've tasted their pleasures every time you've eaten a slice of bread, bitten into a cookie, or sipped a glass of soda. In this chemistry science fair project, you'll capture a gas in a stretchy container you're probably pretty familiar with—a balloon. This will allow you to observe the gas expansion and contraction as the temperature changes.
Read more

Chem_p077

+ More Details

- Less Details

Time Required

Very Short (≤ 1 day)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Very Low (under $20)

Safety

People with a latex allergy should not do this project. Use caution, as latex balloons are the leading choking hazard for children under 6.

Big, puffy, cotton-like clouds, and the bubbles in a pot of boiling water may not seem like they have much in common, but they do—both are formed by a heat-transfer process called convection. Warmed gases and liquids rise, while cooler ones fall, creating currents and mixing things up. Whether making processed foods in a factory or making plastic or metal parts, knowing how to mix up a big tank of hot and cold liquids or gases quickly is important. Engineers must rely on experimentation…
Read more

Have you ever wondered why bubbles form when you mix soap and water? Is it possible to mix soap and water without making bubbles? Medical doctors actually study similar questions when they treat patients who have too much gas trapped in their digestive system, which can cause pain and bloating and also signal a serious medical problem. Some drugs, including one called simethicone, can help relieve extra gas in the digestive system. In this science project you will find out how simethicone…
Read more

BioMed_p014

+ More Details

- Less Details

Time Required

Very Short (≤ 1 day)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Very Low (under $20)

Safety

You will need to ask an adult helper to cut the chewable simethicone tablets with a knife.

Have you ever made your own ice cream? If you have, you probably surrounded the ice cream container with ice and rock salt to get the mixture cold enough to freeze. But why does that work? How does adding salt (or other substances) affect the freezing point of water? Find out with this ice-cold science project.
Read more

In this project, you'll learn how to isolate DNA from onion cells, separating it from other cellular components in a manner that still preserves its structure and sequence. In the end, you'll have enough DNA to see with the unaided eye, and you'll be able to spool it to demonstrate its strand-like structure.
Read more

On a hot summer day, do not you just love opening a can of your favorite soda pop and taking a deep drink? The bubbles in the soda tickle your tongue's taste buds and propel the ingredients to your palate and nose so that you get a kick of flavor. But how do the bubbles, fizz, and taste get into the water? In this cooking and food science project, you will work with baking soda, citric acid, and sugar to create a your own soda pop. Once you develop your recipe, try it out on your friends and…
Read more

FoodSci_p070

+ More Details

- Less Details

Time Required

Average (6-10 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

You will need to purchase citric acid at a specialty store or online. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.

You can find this page online at: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/search.shtml?v=solt&pi=Chem_p027

You may print and distribute up to 200 copies of this document annually, at no charge, for personal and classroom educational use. When printing this document, you may NOT modify it in any way. For any other use, please contact Science Buddies.